Fasteners are hardware devices that mechanically join or affix two or more objects together. Usually fashioned from metal, common types of fasteners include nails, bolts, screws, clips, staples, clamps, pins, grommets, anchors, and rivets. Despite advances in building and tool technology, there is a need for a reliable tool for pulling nails, especially short, cut off and headless nails, staples and tacks that are impossible to pull with a standard claw hammer that functions without causing damage to the surface or drywall from which one is removing the fastener. Traditionally a claw hammer is used to remove nails, staples or other fasteners but the end of the claw can leave scratches or indentions on the wall or drywall.
The prior art has put forth several designs for hand held tools for nail and framework removal. Among these are:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,934 to Mark Anthony Gallo describes a pry bar with a built in hammer. The pry bar includes a slide bar with an elongated linear section culminating in a slightly angled pry section at one end. At the other end of the slide bar is a pry section angled at approximately ninety degrees. This tool is adjustable by means of the slide bar to accommodate various space allotments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,479 to Lowell F. Witter describes a framework removal tool that is designed to remove variously sized stakes that support concrete framework. This tool provides an apparatus and method for pulling nails, prying framework and removing different types of stakes using a convenient leverage design. At one end, this elongated tool comprises a stake contact element with two adjustable notches for accommodating stake lengths and a rotatable lever arm connecting to the stake contact element for stake removal. The other end of this tool composes a notch for removing nails.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,935 to Jefferson Louis Wagner describes a nail removal tool for pulling an elongated object that is embedded in a body having a surface through a surface. This tool comprises an elongated shaft portion with one end comprising a handle and the other end comprising a pivot mechanism. A moveable head portion with a fixed jaw member and a jaw bedway is attached to the pivot mechanism. A second jaw member parallel to the first jaw member is attached to a moveable bedway plate that is inserted in the jaw bedway and is moveably connected to the lower end of the shaft portion. This tool has a jaws closed position and opposite jaws open position.
None of these prior art references describe the present invention.